When Rohan became the new Prince of The Desert, ruler of the princedom granted his family for as long as the Long Sands spawned fire, he took the crown with two goals in mind. First and foremost, he sought to bring permanent peace to his world of divided princedoms, realms hovering always on the brink of war. And, in a land where dragon-slaying was a proof of manhood, Rohan was the sole champion of the dragons, fighting desperately to preserve the last remaining lords of the sky and with them a secret which might be the salvation of his people . . .

AND HIS SUNRUNNER WITCH--

Sioned, who was fated by Fire to be Rohan's bride, had mastered the magic of sunlight and moonglow, catching hints of a yet to be formed pattern which could irrevocably affect the destinies of Sunrunners and ordinary mortals alike. Yet caught in the machinations of the Lady of Goddess Keep, and of Prince Rohan and his sword enemy, the treacherously cunning High Prince, could Sioned alter this crucial pattern to protect her lord from the menace of a war that threatened to set the land ablaze? [2]

Faces in Fire: Rohan, Prince of the Desert, is newly come to the throne. He must outwit the High Prince in order to protect his vast lands and to maintain peace throughout the world. Sioned, a Sunrunner witch and his chosen bride, must help him in this dangerous quest and during the harsh times of war to come.

The Rialla: Rohan and Sioned have some hard times at first, but they eventually get through. After Rohan's father died and Rohan inherited, he pretended to be a stupid, ignorant young man. The other princes believed him until he showed his true colors. The High Prince Roelstra, however, thought that he could get Rohan's lands by marrying one of his seventeen daughters off to him. Rohan always came to a head with him. Roelstra wanted the desert, and Rohan was just as determined not to let him have it. No one knew that Sioned was Rohan's Chosen, except his Aunt, the scheming statecrafter Andrade, until he revealed it at one of the many dinners that all of the princes attended. Roelstra was furious, of course, but he managed to keep his cool. For awhile, that is.

Vengeance: Ultimately, Roelstra's daughter Ianthe captured Rohan and seduced him, convincing the drugged prince that she is Sioned. She also captured Sioned, locked her in a lightless dungeon and sent soldiers to rape her. When Rohan discovered the truth, he was enraged and took Ianthe fiercely as a form of revenge. Ianthe got what she wanted: a child was conceived of this. Sioned returned to Feruche and stole the babe from Ianthe just before Rohan's vassal Ostvel burned Ianthe's Castle Feruche to the ground-- with Ianthe in it. Sioned adopted the child, naming him Pol, which means "star" in the Old Tongue. War erupts between Rohan and Roelstra, ending when Rohan killed Roelstra in a duel and became High Prince in his stead.